10 greatest dunkers in NBA history

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Vince Carter
“Vince Carter and Yi Jianlian (易建联)” flickr image by eviltomthai https://flickr.com/pics/eviltomthai/3032020311 shared less than a Artistic Commons (BY) license

There’s much more electrifying and group-hyping shift in basketball than a slam dunk. This gets fans out of their seats while the bench celebrates like crazy. In the course of record, we witnessed hundreds of monster dunks from some of the greatest dunkers of all time these types of as Vince Carter, Michael Jordan, and Dominique Wilkins.

Greatest dunkers of all time

Today, dunks are innovative extra than ever. There are distinctive variations and combos of tomahawks, windmills, 360s, and involving-the-legs. The ideal dunkers in NBA history have no difficulties undertaking these types of dunks thanks to their freakish athleticism. Several of them even toss it down in opposition to taller defenders!

Right here are the ten greatest dunkers of all time.

Honorable mentions: Darryl Dawkins, David Thompson, Clyde Drexler

10. Shaquille O’Neal

A single of the greatest dunkers of all time, Shaquille O’Neal is the definition of sheer force and brute energy. Shaq was a 7-foot-1 centre but moved unbelievably properly and was uber-athletic for his sizing, in particular in his Orlando times.

Shaq has hundreds of posterizing dunks in opposition to hapless defenders who tried using to end him. It was a regular detail for him to dunk in excess of opposing significant adult males due to the fact he makes use of his power to overpower them down low. On quickly breaks, he could also run the floor for the uncontested slam.

Because of to his bodyweight and the energy of his dunks, Shaq shattered a handful of backboards. That just displays how highly effective his dunks were.


9. Tracy McGrady

Tracy McGrady had a limited-lived occupation due to accidents. Having said that, he was a dunking equipment early in his vocation. His athleticism was off the charts as he attempted to throw everything down when he obtained the likelihood.

T-Mac was not scared to go to the rim even towards the league’s premier shot blockers. His most famous dunk was the a person in opposition to 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley in the 2006 Playoffs.

In 2000, McGrady participated in one particular of the biggest dunk contests at any time. He set up some stunning dunks and battled neck-to-neck in opposition to the league’s leading dunkers such as Steve Francis, and his teammate Vince Carter.

8. Blake Griffin

The “Lob City” Clippers were a point of splendor. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan ended up the centerpiece of this squad. Nonetheless, it was Griffin who shined amongst these three since he was generally on the obtaining conclusion of the alley-oops.

Griffin’s sizing and vertical leap allowed him to capture lobs with ease and toss it down with anger and enthusiasm. His recreation was comparable to Shawn Kemp‘s. They have been both pretty much unstoppable when catching lobs or driving to the basket. This authorized Griffin to posterize 7-foot gamers. His posters versus Pau Gasol, Kris Humphries, and Kendrick Perkins were being among the most humiliating dunks in NBA historical past.

Griffin is also a a person-time dunk winner.

7. LeBron James

Regardless of not becoming a member of the dunk contest in the course of his entire occupation, LeBron James is continue to considered one particular of the top dunkers ever. Alternatively, he created the serious NBA online games his possess dunk contest. Listed here, he’s not concerned to go up from taller defenders with his patented tomahawk dunk.

James is a physical monster at 6-foot-9. There’s only no halting him from dunking the ball when he assaults the basket because of to his toughness and explosiveness. He presently caught a lot of bodies in his career, and he’s nevertheless doing it at age 37.

6. Kobe Bryant

Prior to he was a grasp of the midrange activity, Kobe Bryant was a freakish athlete who frequently attacked the rim. Earlier in his job, he had a truthful share of spotlight dunks ranging from windmills to 360s.

Bryant caught a lot of bodies throughout his career. And these are not just typical defenders. Rather, he dunked on all-time greats these kinds of as Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Garnett.

Let us also not forget that Bryant was a slam dunk winner in 1997 as a rookie. He was just 18 decades outdated at this time.

5. Shawn Kemp

No other player in NBA heritage threw dunks more difficult than Shawn Kemp. He’s definitely a single of the most entertaining dunkers at any time, specially because he played with Gary Payton in Seattle. Payton would just throw an alley and Kemp would throw down the oop with destructive intent.

Aside from the alley-oops, Kemp could also throw it down emphatically on drives to the basket. This is apparent from the iconic poster dunk he built against Golden State’s Alton Lister. In the course of his occupation, Kemp caught bodies still left and suitable.

4. Julius Erving

Nicknamed “Dr. J”, Julius Erving is the godfather of dunking. He paved the way for gamers who performed previously mentioned the rim to prosper in the league. The way he revolutionized dunks early in the NBA created him a single of the finest dunkers of all time.

Erving palmed the ball with relieve with his massive fingers which permitted him to shift freely in the air. Combine that with his vertical leap and dimensions, there’s no other participant that can cease him from throwing it down at the rim.

Perhaps his most memorable a person is the “Rock the baby” dunk exactly where he cradled the ball in the air and dunked it in excess of Michael Cooper.

3. Dominique Wilkins

One of the ideal dunkers in NBA background, Dominique Wilkins will generally be remembered for placing up highlight dunks each game. He dunked the basketball with creativeness like Carter and electrical power like Kemp. His 6-foot-8 size and explosiveness gave him a enormous gain to toss it down from taller defenders.

The 1988 Dunk Contest involving Wilkins and Michael Jordan is one of the greatest dunk contests at any time. It was a head-to-head fight from start to finish—a struggle of electrical power vs hangtime. Finally, Jordan gained but there was a controversy that Wilkins was robbed. Even nevertheless Wilkins didn’t acquire the 1988 trophy, he was a two-time dunk winner.

2. Michael Jordan

Other than obtaining an unstoppable midrange jumper, Michael Jordan experienced an additional significant weapon in his arsenal—a dunk. His hangtime was what produced him deadly when attacking the rim. Defenders were being likely down immediately after the preliminary bounce while Jordan nevertheless floated in the air.

Jordan was regarded for his competitiveness. He would continuously dunk on defenders to put himself at an benefit mentally. Mutombo, one of the league’s very best shot-blockers back again then, was famous for his finger-wag celebration immediately after getting a block. But Jordan acquired his revenge in the playoffs when he dunked on him and gave the finger-wag back again. That’s how aggressive he is.

No other player in NBA heritage built dunks with style and grace like Jordan. In the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest, Jordan performed one of his ideal dunks of all time, a free throw line dunk. He virtually seemed like he was flying in the air as he glided towards the rim with his tongue out.

1. Vince Carter

There’s no doubt that Vince Carter is the finest dunker of all time. Whether or not in-activity or in a slam dunk contest, Vinsanity designed his dunks seem so effortless. He could jump out of the making and toss it down emphatically even from taller defenders.

His most well known dunk is the “Dunk of Death” in which he jumped over 7-foot-tall Frederic Weis in the Olympics. This finished Weis’ vocation as he by no means created it to perform a single activity in the NBA irrespective of staying drafted by the Knicks in the initially round.

Carter didn’t slack in the dunk contest possibly. In the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, he performed one of the greatest dunks in dunk contest history, a 360 windmill dunk. His iconic “It’s over” celebration is the icing on the cake for this astounding functionality.



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